Various: Savvy Sugar (2-LP)

(2015/Fantastic Voyage) 32 tracks.
Los Angeles may well be synonymous with movie stars, the Capitol Tower and Sunset Boulevard, but it also ranks as a leading location on the road to rock ’n’ roll. The music’s emergence in the 1950s brought about a profusion of local recording facilities, many of which were dotted around the city’s 498 square miles. These included Radio Recorders, United, Gold Star and Master Recorders, and the studio owners were quick to learn that it paid to be as diverse as possible. The day might start with a film dubbing, ahead of a television commercial being taped over the lunch hour. Then in the afternoon the microphones could be adjusted to record a big band, followed by a teenage pop session in the evening. What made the system totally unique was the fact that a clutch of skilled musicians from the Hollywood sound stages were also responsible for supplying the goods on the rock ’n’ roll dates. Drummer Earl Palmer, guitarist René Hall, bassist Red Callender, and the sax and piano-playing brothers, Plas & Ray Johnson, were the guys in question, and their infinite adaptability was responsible for some of the most exciting rock ’n’ roll recordings of all time. Having said that, many of the new breed-ers like Ricky Nelson and Tommy Sands chose to use their own players; a situation that effectively allowed the baton to be handed over in readiness for another era. Pure Essence Of Nashville Rock & Roll, feat. Bob Luman, Gene Vincent, Don Gibson, Johnny Horton and many more.